"Being a surgeon is an amazingly fulfilling life," says Dr. Tyler Hughes, a general surgeon in McPherson, Kan. "It's not about how many dollars you have in the bank or who thinks you're important. It's about taking care of a community and knowing you made a difference."

What they do all day? No two days are alike for these in-demand surgeons who often staff trauma units. They can perform a wide range of procedures, from gallbladder removals to esophageal surgery to skin tumor excision. Often the backbone of community hospitals, they see patients and offer surgical recommendations when they're not in the operating room.

How to get the job? General surgeons must undergo rigorous training to be able to perform a vast range of surgeries, so interest in a wide range of surgical and medical disciplines is key. Adaptability also is critical, since advanced techniques and tools for minimally invasive surgeries are always changing.

What's great? What's not? Handling insurance and Medicaid paperwork can be frustrating, but there's nothing more gratifying than saving lives and caring for a community on a daily basis. --G.W.

What they do all day? No two days are alike for these in-demand surgeons who often staff trauma units. They can perform a wide range of procedures, from gallbladder removals to esophageal surgery to skin tumor excision. Often the backbone of community hospitals, they see patients and offer surgical recommendations when they're not in the operating room. --G.W.

Notes: All pay data from PayScale.com. Median pay is for an experienced worker (at least five or seven years in the field). Top pay represents the 90th percentile. Job growth is estimated for 2010-20, and based on people working in broader 'job family' from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

*Total jobs is estimated number of people working in broader BLS 'job family.'

Sources: PayScale.com, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and CNNMoney research

It's still a tough job market, so when CNNMoney, in partnership with data from PayScale.com, set out to find America's Best Jobs this year, first and foremost we looked for professions that offer great growth opportunities.

Other big factors: pay (how strong it is now, and how fast it's growing), overall job satisfaction, and how many jobs are in the field overall.More